RNC 2024 Day 2: Trump feted by former rivals Haley, DeSantis
Trump, with a bandage on his ear, made an appearance again Tuesday evening
Last updated: Wednesday, July 17, 2024 3:30PM IST
MILWAUKEE -- The second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee ended Tuesday with appearances from some of former President Donald Trump's former rivals: former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy -- all calling for Republican Party unity.
They were joined by some of Trump's longest allies including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Ben Carson in bashing the Democrats over what they claimed were harmful and failed policies.
The program focused on law and order with a theme of making the country "safe again."
Trump, with a bandage on his ear, made an appearance again Tuesday evening -- just days after he was wounded in an assassination attempt at one of his rallies in Pennsylvania over the weekend. Several speakers said God spared Trump in the shooting, saving him for a divine plan for the presidency.
Key Headlines
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Jul 17, 2024, 5:04 AM IST
Here's how the news is developing.
8:47 AM IST
'First they tried to ruin his reputation ... then last weekend they tried to kill him': Ben Carson
Dr. Ben Carson, Trump's Housing and Urban Development secretary and former 2016 presidential rival, took the stage and argued that last week's assassination attempt was part of a long line of attacks against the former president.
"First, they tried to ruin his reputation, and he's more popular now than ever. And then they tried to bankrupt him, and he's got more money now than he had before. And then they tried to put him in prison, and he's freer and has made other people free with him. And then -- and then, last weekend they tried to kill him. And there he is over there, alive and well," Carson said to applause.
Carson did not specify who "they" were.
He went on to criticize the media and the government for dividing the nation contending the latter was "shredding our constitution and upending the rule of law.
8:35 AM IST
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio speaks of man killed at Trump rally; 'Corey, Corey' chant breaks out
During Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's remarks, the crowd chanted in honor of Corey Comperatore, the man killed during the assassination attempt on Trump during Saturday's rally.
"He was described as the best dad a girl could ever ask for," Rubio said. "He was a man of God who loved Jesus fiercely. He looked after members of his church. Corey was one of the millions of everyday Americans who make our country great."
Rubio continued, "He wasn't rich. He wasn't famous. And the only reason why we know his name and story now is because last Saturday, he shielded his wife and daughter from an assassin's bullet and lost his life the way he lived it, a hero."
The crowd then broke out into a chant of "Corey, Corey, Corey!"
8:30 AM IST
Fact check: Drug overdose deaths
As the COVID pandemic raged, an ugly trend continued during the Biden administration, with overdose deaths climbing to 106,699 in 2021 and peaking in 2022 at 111,027 before falling slightly in 2023 to 107,543, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
8:27 AM IST
'Not even an assassin's bullet could stop him': Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Arkansas governor and Trump's former press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the crowd that she had not been prouder to stand with the former president.
"Not even an assassin's bullet could stop him. God almighty intervened because America is one nation, under God and he is certainly not finished with President Trump," she said.
Ahead of her speech, aides to the governor told ABC News that this was going to be an emotional speech by the first-time governor and long-time defender of Trump.
Sanders criticized President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their policies on the economy and crime.
She claimed that the left "did not care about empowering women," and repeated a line said by others that they "can't even tell you what a woman is."
She again touted how Trump was resilient even after the assassination attempt over the weekend.
"We can't get him back in the White House fast enough," she said, prompting the crowd to cheer.
-ABC News' John Santucci
8:10 AM IST
Man wearing ski mask, carrying tactical backpack arrested near RNC after gun found: police
Milwaukee police arrested a 21-year-old man Monday for carrying a concealed weapon slightly less than a mile from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
United States Capitol Police initially observed the suspect looking suspicious, wearing a ski mask and a large tactical backpack in the street, police said.
Capitol Police stopped the man, and found the gun, police said.
The man does not have a concealed-carry permit in Wisconsin or any other state, police said.
He was arrested about 1 p.m., and charges are pending.
7:50 AM IST
Fact check: Undocumented immigrants and voting
It's already illegal for noncitizens to vote in the United States.
Several Republican leaders and RNC guests have argued without any evidence that undocumented immigrants are voting in elections.
However, doing so is a federal offense that is punishable by jail time and could lead to deportation.
Although there is no comprehensive database that tracks instances of noncitizen voting on a large scale, there has never been any evidence that proves it has happened on a scale that could have swayed federal elections.
Conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation runs a database that contains a sampling of proven instances of election fraud across the United States. By ABC News' count, out of 1,499 proven election fraud cases that they list, they document less than 100 cases of noncitizens voting.
A study by the Brennan Center for Justice that looked at 42 jurisdictions, representing 23.5 million votes, found an estimated 30 incidents of suspected noncitizen voting in 2016.
7:30 AM IST
DeSantis says America can't afford a 'Weekend at Bernie's' presidency
Florida governor and former Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis ripped into Biden's age and questions about viability when he took the stage.
"We need a commander-in-chief who can lead 24 hours a day, seven days a week. America cannot afford four more years of a 'Weekend at Bernie's' presidency," he said, referencing the 1989 comedy.
DeSantis claimed that Biden was just the "figurehead" who acts as "a tool for imposing a leftist agenda of the American people."
7:24 AM IST
Haley calls for a 'unified Republican party'
During her speech, Nikki Haley made an appeal to those who don't fully support Trump.
"My message to them is simple. You don't have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him," she said.
"Take it from me, I haven't always agreed with the president. But we agree more often than we disagree. We agree on keeping America strong," she continued.
She said a "unified Republican party is essential" for saving the country. She criticized President Joe Biden as showing "every possible sign of weakness" on foreign policy and Vice President Kamala Harris as contributing to the "border disaster."
"We are stronger when we welcome people into our party who have different backgrounds and experiences," she said. "Right now we need to be strong to save America. This is a defining moment, not only for our party but for our country."
7:20 AM IST
Haley had rocky start, ends strong
Nikki Haley, Trump's biggest challenger in the 2024 Republican primary, was met with some scattered boos as she took the stage.
One woman seated in the crowd said, mockingly, "Now she's going to dig herself out of the hole."
But she got more of the audience on her side throughout her speech, and by the end, many stood up out of their seats and even tipped their hats.
7:06 AM IST
Nikki Haley officially endorses Trump
Nikki Haley, Trump's former GOP primary rival, officially endorsed the former president for the first time after walking out to applause and some boos.
"President Trump asked me to speak to this convention in the name of unity," Haley said. "I'll start by making one thing perfectly clear: Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period."
Trump stood up to applaud.
7:06 AM IST
Chris Christie calls on Trump to unite, says Vance pick was not in that spirit
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called on former President Donald Trump to redirect the Republican Party in "a new direction" and to encourage party members to treat others with respect, in the wake of the assassination attempt targeting Trump, in a New York Times op-ed published Tuesday.
"Mr. Trump has the opportunity to rein in some of the worst rhetorical impulses of the Republican Party at its convention this week," Christie wrote.
Christie wrote that Trump's selection of Sen. J.D. Vance as a running mate was not in that spirit.
"Mr. Vance's first reaction to the assassination attempt against Mr. Trump was to turn directly to the current, flawed playbook: demonize the other side and lay the blame at the feet of the Democrats, as if they had pulled the trigger themselves. Clearly, this is not a message of unity in the face of what could have been a national tragedy," he wrote.
Christie, who in January suspended his campaign for president, has not endorsed Trump.
He praised Trump's remarks to the New York Post about changing his own speech and looking to foster unity.
6:42 AM IST
Trump arrives, with bandage on ear again
Trump has arrived on the convention floor, wearing a bandage again on his right ear that was struck in the assassination attempt, walking out to the song "What I Like About You."
The crowd got on to their feet, many recording his entrance, as he raised his fist several times.
